1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sport games, and more particularly a portable game court and game in which opposing players return a play device in a court that is defined by adjustable opposed rings, longitudinal side ropes and a transverse center rope. The adjustable opposed rings can be sized according to the height, skill or ability of a player, to equalize the competition during play. The play devices which are functional with or without the court have a relatively lightweight, substantially round head connected to a tail portion which flairs down and outward from the head to form a thin, lightweight, curved bell shaped, mesh structure. The curvature of the bell shaped tail portion when viewed from the side closely follows the curve formed by a parabolic arc. The head is designed to be hit by player""s hands, feet, head, or any other part of the human body. The aforementioned devices are also suitable for use with rackets, paddles, or other striking instruments. The head portion may be produced from a soft foam material. The head absorbs the impact from striking implements, thereby reducing the force from which, and distance to which, the play implement may be directed by a striking instrument. The tail portion serves as a wind drag, further limiting the distance to which a striking implement may cause the play device to travel. The shape and size of the present invention lends itself to being thrown and caught much the same as a football might be. The lightweight, soft foam head, and short flight pattern combine to make a play device suitable for practicing many different physical coordination skills, indoors or within confined spaces.
2. Description of Related Art
Various game assemblies for games employing a court have been developed in the past. However, innumerable disadvantages can be described which detract from the enjoyment and fairness of play of any given game employing a court and its associated defining equipment (nets, goals, rackets, etc.).
In the related art, the court is generally dedicated to a given location with a dedicated size, having dedicated devices such as boundary lines, dividers (e.g. nets) or scoring goals. Furthermore, some courts require surfaces with improved playing characteristics (such as tennis, basketball or volleyball) which require more than a minimum of expense to build or maintain. Such courts are therefore, first, not transportable. Moreover, such courts, sometimes having a target zone or goal at which a player must practice accurate hitting, may not be conveniently accessible to a user wishing to practice, thus limiting the court""s use mostly to play and not to practice. Finally, none such courts are readily reduced or increased in size to accommodate a handicap (whether it be a sports handicap or a physical handicap), without seriously affecting or interfering with the rules of play.
Likewise, the dedicated devices associated with such courts present added problems. Even if the boundaries, goals or dividers are not fixed, they are generally exacting and time consuming to erect (as in the case of laying out lines) or bulky and cumbersome to transport or erect (as in the case of hockey or basketball goals). Moreover, devices used to define the court into separate playing areas (such as volleyball nets or opposing basketball goals). Moreover, devices used to define the court into separate playing areas (such as volleyball nets or opposing basketball goals) are usually elevated above the ground and thus intended for ambulatory individuals without handicap or height limitations. Thus, such devices are generally ill suited to accommodate physical limitations of the individual, whether due to age, or physical handicap, wherein a change to the court or associated equipment fails to make the game playable as intended or fails to neutralize the limitation of one opposing player as between unequally skilled players. At best, very few such game devices are readily height adjustable and, although lowering or decreasing the size of the device, they fail to relate such change to the size of the court; i.e. the court remains the same size. At worst, most are entirely unadaptable and thus remain dedicated to play by a few.
Ultimately, any combination of such courts"" features results in disadvantages which make it very difficult for those unable to freely come and go or move about, such as children or the handicapped, to enjoy recreational court games. Therefore, a portable court game is desired wherein neither the mobility of a user, the ease of play, nor the fairness or play, is restricted by the typical characteristics of a court. In particular, a game is desired having a court which is adjustable and in part dependent upon the height or other sports handicap of the players playing the game.
Moreover, the implements used during play of recreational court games have undesirable qualities which detract from the fun of play. For example, scoring implements used, such as balls or pucks, may require containment from escape from the immediate court side areas (most notably as in tennis) or otherwise cause the players to suffer the annoyance of retrieval, where-as the present invention does not require containment as is not able to roll great distances, because the expanded end of the tail portion has a diameter that is approximately twice that of the head portion causing the device to roll in a circular direction. Moreover, the striking implements used, for example rackets often used in court games for returning a birdie or a shuttlecock, may not be immediately effective in the hands or a user, therefore requiring undue skill, strength, practice or muscular coordination before being able to participate in regular play. Such disadvantages may arise due to the arrangement of the string area, e.g. the size and location of the xe2x80x9csweet spotxe2x80x9d, or its proximity to the neck of a racket. Also, the birdies of the relevant art do not describe a play device with a tail portion which along it""s length closely follows the curved path described by the equation used to form a parabolic arc. The impact strength of the tail portion is increased by the curvature of the tail portion as well as the manner in which it intersects the head. The mesh structure of the tail portion, where it is connected the head is nearly cylindrical, and runs nearly parallel to the direction of impact upon the head""s surface by striking implements. The curvature of the tail portion also increases the wind resistance of the tail portion, there-by providing the desired arc of declination for a play device, or a shuttlecock used in the game of badminton. The increased impact strength of the tail portion of the present invention allows the tail to be produced lighter in weight than previous designs have allowed, therefor the present invention is able to provide a shuttlecock or play device with a more desirable arc of declination due to the fact that the arc of declination of a play device is largely influenced by the weight of the tail portion. Present injection molding techniques and materials would not allow shuttlecocks described by previous art to be produced light and strong enough to provide a desired arc of declination in contrast with the present invention where the head, skirt, and tail ring combine to produce a desirable arc of declination within the flight path of the play device.
Various patents in the relevant art have described both striking and struck implements used in court games, or the games themselves. U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,061 issue to Colburn et al. On Nov. 28, 1995 describes a racquet. The racquet does not have the widest area closest to the throat portion of the racquet, thereby limiting a player""s ability to respond quickly and accurately, to play devices that are hit directly at them.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,761,685 issued to Lashley on Sep. 4, 1956 describes a shuttlecock. The shuttlecock has a skirt that includes sets of strands which superimpose one another. However, it has not been disclosed that a tail portion of a play device be produced by having forms pass through a tube around which the tubular fabric is disposed and where upon exiting the tube the forms would engage an end of the tubular fabric, and pull the material from the tube through an epoxy bath, thereby disposing the composited material upon the forms where it would cure and form a composite mesh structure used for the tail portion of a shuttlecock or play device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,947 issued to Blue on Dec. 17, 1991 describes a game court that has netted target areas held above ground level which divide the court into two playing areas. The target areas or goals are not convenient or accessible to children or the handicapped and thereby limit participation in play. Moreover, the court is not easily transportable.
Other patents of interest include U.S. Pat. No. Des. 163,368 and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 163,369 issued to Carlton both on May 22, 1951; U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,795 issued to Porter on Mar. 14, 1978; U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,247 issued to Davis on Aug. 24, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,422 issued to Coe on Jan. 11, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,058 issued to Janes et al. On Dec. 20, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,890 issued to Blue on Apr. 1, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,587 issued to Mao-Huang on Jun. 6, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 227,884 issued to Duchemin on May 25, 1880; U.S. Pat. No. 1,921,523 issued to Hart on Aug. 8, 1933; U.S. Pat. No. 2,193,645 issued to Raizin et al. On Mar. 12, 1940; U.S. Pat. No. 2,509,087 issued to Edmund on May 23, 1950; U.S. Pat. No. 2,613,935 issued to Richard on Oct. 14, 1952; U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,705 issued to Wong on Sep. 10, 1974; U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,447 issued to Clark on Oct. 13, 1981; U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,818 issued to Sinclair on Sep. 3, 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,527 issued to Noval on Dec. 14, 1993; and PCT WO 84/00306 issued to Vetling on Feb. 2, 1984.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as a device designed to be hit with a practitioner""s hands, feet, or other parts of the body. Nor do they disclose the ability to be used as practice throwing or catching devices as their size and weight do not readily proffer themselves as caching and/or throwing implements. There are of course many different types of throwing and catching implements, though none would claim to be configured to have the ability or desirability to be struck with the intention of directing the object to land and remain stable upon a player""s head, which is an ability and method of play used in conjunction with an embodiment of the present invention.
The present invention is directed towards a play device, portable court assembly and games, an object of a game is for opposing players to volley the play device and cause it to land in the opponent""s target zone to score. Depending on the embodiment of the device used for play, each player uses either a racket or any body part for volleying.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a sporting game for players of any age, skill or ability in which an object is volleyed from one opponent""s target area into an opponent""s target area of the court, wherein the court structure may be adjusted in size to correspond to varying levels of skill between opponents.
It is another object of the invention to provide the court with opposed circular rings, wherein each ring is scaled for adjusting the ring so as to match the player""s height and ability.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a court that is easy to assemble, transport and access.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a shuttlecock, with an improved impact strength; while reducing the weight of the tail portion; to achieve this, the length of the tail closely follows a curved line which is described by a parabolic equation, this decreases the angle to which the tail leaves the head, thus maximizing the impact strength of the tail portion of a play device or shuttlecock. Another object is to provide a shuttlecock that has an additional thickness formed at the bottom portion of the cap so as to improve the shuttle""s bounce, weight characteristics, and durability.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a play device in which a player makes use of one""s body parts to strike and volley the device. These play devices have a foamed rubber or foamed plastic head for softness and to keep the weight of the head at a minimum. The foam heads may have an internal inflatable bladder for additional bouncing effect, or the heads may be produced from an inflatable material connected directly to the tail portion. The object of this form of the invention is to provide a player with a ball that can be painlessly hit hard with bare feet and hands; due to it""s light weight and it""s foam head. The object of providing a device whose speed and flight pattern enhance the potential of a player""s control over and ability to retain the object in flight; by striking it; is readily achieved by a disclosed play implement having an open end of the tail portion with a diameter that is equal to or greater than six inches, and where the height of the tail portion, would be approximately equal to the greatest width of the tail.
To provide for a tail portion that can withstand repeated impact from rackets or body parts and also withstand the general rigors of play; by children, i.e., being crushed, crumpled and used as a xe2x80x9ctug of warxe2x80x9d device, the devices must remain flexible, tear resistant and retain xe2x80x9cmemoryxe2x80x9d of their original shape. To accomplish the goals of durability and impact strength the development of a new type of braid or tubular woven material was created; this new braid or xe2x80x9cheliweavexe2x80x9d is produced by strands of material being interconnected by twisting around their neighboring strands of fibers along the length of the fabric being produced. This type of braid has advantages over a regular braided material; one advantage is that the fibers twist around one-another as opposed to laying on top of one-another, this allows for the production of a braid with strands which are not easily displaced even when the braid is loosely woven with an open pattern weave similar to a fishnet. A regular braid becomes unstable with fibers that are easily displaced when braided loosely with space between the fibers, while the xe2x80x9cheliweavexe2x80x9d remains stable and the area between the fibers remains constant even when pulled over irregular shaped forms. The xe2x80x9cheliweavexe2x80x9d also has other advantages over a regular braid; when used within a composite structure, or as plain fabric or rope. Heliwoven rope has increased abrasion resistance qualities; as the external fibers which make up the rope, run parallel to the length of the rope increasing it""s linear abrasion resistance; where regular braided rope has fibers which run at a 45 degree angle to the length of the rope. Heliwoven material, combined with polymers, creating a composite structure, has advantages over a regular braid; the linear, compression, and impact strength of a heliwoven composite structure is improved; in part due to the increased surface area of the connection between individual fibers. The linear strength of a composite heliwoven rod, is increased; due in part to the fact that heliwoven rope or cord, creates a solid rod, as opposed to a hollow tube that a regular braid produces. Decorative heliweaves may also be produced; which would have desirable esthetic qualities. The Heliweave may be braided flat or in circular shape and has other applications and advantages above and beyond the ones described herein.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an improved racket, wherein the racket has a widest area closest to a throat portion of the racket""s frame for quicker and more accurate responses when the player returns a volley.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
The game is played within a court boundary defining opposite target zones. The court boundaries are defined by a structure that comprises opposed and adjustable circular rings, longitudinal side lines joining each ring at opposite points on its diameter, and a center line transversely extending between the side lines. Each of the lines may be defined by ropes or a similar material such as nylon, attached to each ring. Each side rope constitutes the court""s side boundary. The transversely extending rope marks a center of the court, thus dividing the court into first and second playing areas.
Each ring is adjustable in diameter; two embodiments are described, adjustable by means permitting the free and slidable movement of each free end past another, such by means of a sleeve or banding loop, or by means permitting insertion of one tube into the other. The rings are adjustable from 7 to 14 feet in diameter, each ring also being scaled to permit the adjustment of the ring to conform to the height or ability of a player, thereby permitting players of unequal skills or ability to compete with one another.
Each ring comprises an outer tube and an inner cable, each having a pair of free ends. The outer tube is made of a foamed material, such as foamed polyethylene or neoprene rubber, which minimizes the interference with play when stepped upon, The outer tube has an inner channel into which a weighted flexible tube or rod is partially or completely inserted, which assists in laying the rings flat to the ground or playing surface and reinforcing the outer tube.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.